Monday, March 26, 2012

week 5: recap


last recap! 
i now consider myself officially caught up.
[until i go back to work in april and neglect everything except my kids and my sleep]
sigh.
i really shouldn't complain since my job provides our family with health insurance that has great maternity coverage.
a much appreciated fact considering my bill from the hospital [that didn't include the bill from the anesthesiologist or evelyn's care] was more than $13,000!! 
so working my full 1 year contract is totally worth it.

week 5:








and that was week 5.
the zoo and that gummy smile were the highlights of our week.


in current news:
evelyn has had reflux ever since she was born.
it seems to be a horrific genetic curse since i had it as a baby, kate had it and both my sister's kids as well.
but evelyn's is much worse than kate's ever was and it had me concerned.
i talked with our pediatrician today about possible causes and solutions.
we think it's just reflux and nothing worse but he wanted to be sure.
so we took ev for an ultrasound of her stomach to make sure all is in working order.
much like we suspected, everything appeared normal.
i think the next step will be to try some medicine but i'll know more on thursday when we follow up.

i'm glad nothing seems to be terribly wrong with my baby but it's still quite frustrating.
every feeding means a change of clothes [for her and me].
bibs don't help- we have to use blankets instead of burp cloths to try to catch it all [and we never can contain it all. she seriously spits everywhere.]
the carpet and furniture have stains on them.
and she constantly stinks like spit up.

 today she urped in the car while i was taking kate to school-
i was just cruising along and i heard:
 'urp, splash... urp, splash... urp, splash... urp, splash'
that's her normal routine- to forcefully spit up at least 4-5 times.
she soaked her blanket, bib, clothes and the car seat.
she doesn't appear to be in pain and she's gaining weight, for which i am very grateful.
but it's frustrating nonetheless.

these are such minor complaints in the scheme of things.
i know how lucky we are to have a healthy child.
but still, i'm tired.
i just want to feed and snuggle my baby without getting a breastmilk shower. 

and that is that today.
complaining finished.



one more gummy grin?
ok, i'm not frustrated anymore.



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Sunday, March 25, 2012

week 4: recap


katers:

 you stole the show during week 4.
while clicking through pics i noticed that majority of my pics were of you.
it took me a minute to figure out why i didn't have photographic evidence that you even have a baby sister....
then i remembered that was the week evelyn lost her hair and had really bad baby acne.
not her best look. 
hence the lack of photos.
does that make me a bad mom?
probably.
but then again i've given up dr pepper for evelyn's sake so maybe that makes up for it??
[thank heavens for caffeine-free pepsi since that's become my fall-back while nursing]

so back to you, my first-born.
you know what i love about you?
your sensitivity.
you want everyone to be happy and when you notice someone who's upset you try to fix it.
this is most evident with myself or evelyn-
when i cry [which i often do. dang roller-coaster post-partum hormones] you're always right there asking,
'what's wrong mommie? your tears are falling?'
and then you hug me and say,
'be happy. i wuv you'
and then i cry harder.
because i'm a sappy mother who's so incredibly blessed to have you as a daughter.
hot dang, i love your guts.


it should also be brought to attention you're increasing independence.
i'm constantly torn between frustration and pride with this new phase.
i love watching you dress yourself and put your shoes on.
but it drives me batty that your shirts are inside out and your shoes are on the wrong feet.
i'm working on this.
i even let you wear an self-picked atrocious looking outfit to school the other day.
yeah for baby steps!


oh hey look.
a rare picture of baby E.
glad i took the time to document this exocist-ish moment.


this probably should've been a recipe for disaster-
paintbrush+dark paint+toddler.
but oddly it wasn't.
you stayed right by my side and only painted the area i said to.
you rock.

and then there's this.
your obsession with breast-feeding baby elmo.
i'm just going with it for now.


spring has arrived in yuma.
and by spring, i mean summer.
mid-eighties everyday means after church patio parties with friends.
you're too young to remember this party but let me assure you it was awesome.
except for the part where you cried the whole time because the other kids wouldn't do exactly what you told them to. ummm, that sucked.
bossy much?
thankfully krew and ty [your 3 yr old partners in crime] forgive and forget easily.

not only is evelyn your spitting image [she gets called 'kate' about 50 times a day],
she also has your sausage toes.


before ev was born, we promised you a trip to sea world.
it's all you've talked about for nearly 2 months.
well, next weekend all your hopes and dreams will come true.
we will spend the weekend ensuring that you have the best time ever.
thanks for being such a peach.


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Thursday, March 22, 2012

week 3: recap

ev- 

i'm already a little foggy on the details from the end of february [should've blogged sooner. curse my horrific memory. curse it.] but let's do this anyway...

kate decides baby sisters aren't horrible inventions and enjoys kissing you constantly.
and we decide it's high time we kick the finger-sucking in the butt.
[she's now only allowed to suck her finger when she sleeps. there is nothing funnier than watching her sprint to her bed at bedtime while yelling 'i get to suck my finger!!' ah, kids.] 


your newborn grunting got out of control and was keeping both your dad and i awake at night.
once nana left [sniffle, sniffle, sob- we miss nana!] we moved you to your crib.
everyone slept much better after that.


you have a stork bite birthmark just like your big sis.
wonder if all our kids will have this?


monday night ritual-
snuggles, pizza and the bachelor.


and more sleeping. 
sorry this isn't more interesting.... 


oh hey look! 
it's us having a diaper change/nursing session in old navy's family dressing room.
my apologies to the 2 other shoppers- we hogged the room for 35 minutes.


our life really is wonderful.
my days are spent snuggling and feeding you and playing with kate.
i feel incredibly lucky to have 2 beautiful and healthy daughters.
i just wish maternity leave lasted 6 months.

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week 2: recap



baby E-

your 2nd was filled with snuggles and eating.... and napping.
because napping is very important.
if you're anything like me, you will always love a good nap.

our wonderful week was interrupted by a case of pink eye.
still not sure how you got it [none of us had it]
but a quick trip to the pediatrician and some antibiotic drops cleared that grossness up right quick.



 10 day old pics.
so glad we got these pictures taken before your hair fell out.
you're currently rocking a receding hairline.


we love the moby wrap.
it allows me to do important things like the dishes with both arms.
but who am i kidding? 
i didn't do dishes the entire time nana was here.
[i really miss nana....come back please]

dang kid, you're cute.


kate was hard at work on this little masterpiece for quite some time.
what in the world goes on in her little head??

at 2 weeks old you weighed 6#11oz and were still 19 inches.
way to pork up little one.
thank heavens breast-feeding is going awesome this time around
[it was a total failure with your sister much to my disappointment]
but i will say this- engorgement sucks!
but that's what they make percocet for.
am i right or am i right?


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Monday, March 19, 2012

as kate says 'my hair is crazy!'



kateroo-

today you're at school learning your colors [hopefully because it's kind of ridiculous that you know all the disney princess names but not the difference between red and yellow] and playing with your friends.
your teachers, miss melissa and miss jessica, take good care of you.
i'm so glad you love your school- i'm happiest when you're happy.

but i'm not going to lie, i enjoy my toddler-free days.
i get a lot done on mondays, wednesdays and fridays.
it's wonderful to run errands and work on projects without an almost-three year old underfoot.
[who constantly says 'watch mom! watch me mom! watch meeeeeeeee!]
but the house is a little too quiet today and i miss your craziness.

you've come out of your jealousy phase and have resumed being my little helper/buddy.
thank heavens!
i missed your sweetness and your giggles.
thanks for being so awesome.


the other day you helped me with some simple weeding.
you told me we were 'getting rid of the owie grass'.


and true to form, you were bored after 5 minutes [but really, really helpful for those 5 minutes].
so you wandered away and played with the rocks while i finished the weeding.
then you demanded i take a picture of your rock pile because it was just so dang amazing.


love how you get so excited over rocks.
seriously kid, they're just rocks.
what are you going to do when you see a boulder?
should i have a change of clothes ready because you'll pee your pants?




and in other news...
you like donuts.
not the ones with sprinkles or frosting.
just the plain ones.


you ate one and a half.
and because i'm an awesomely health-conscious mother...
i applauded you.



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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

10 days old.



i call these pictures:
 'i've never used a DSLR camera before but my friend got a new one and i thought i should play with it.'









and then i went out and bought myself one.
happy birthmonth to me!!!!!!!



week 1: recap

2 days old.


miss ev-

i sit here holding you in my left arm and attempt to type this one-handed.
it's not so easy.
but this is the golden hour of my day- when kate naps and i get some quiet time to reflect.
that makes me sound like i'm a deep thinker- mostly 'reflect' means fall asleep while nursing you on the couch while i watch house hunters.
now you know the truth.

but no nap today.
today is a day to blog.
the windows have been thrown open and fresh air sweeps through the house while sunshine pours in.
a perfect setting for some serious blogging.

you'll be 5 weeks old tomorrow and i feel like you've been a part of our little family for a year.
can it really only be 5 weeks ago that i was suffering from horrific heartburn, couldn't keep my scrubs up at work due to my swollen abdomen and longed to rock you in my arms?
now incisional pain has replaced the heartburn, i swapped my scrubs for a constant stream of yoga and pajama pants and here i sit with an arm cramp from holding you.

time is passing too quickly.
i can't keep up.
i don't want to forget the little moments that made up your first month with us.
so without further ramblings from your unshowered and exhausted mama,
let's recap!


from the moment we arrived home from the hospital all i wanted was to snuggle you and sleep in my bed. so that's precisely what we did. oh memory foam, how i missed you!


 this afternoon was perfection- you and i snuggled and nursed while nana, jank and kate played by the pool in the sun. we could hear their happy voices and kate's shrieks of laughter through the open windows. i remember thinking 'this is the life'.


umbilical stump. and newborn swollen eyes.
[please note: diaper changes on the couch are NEVER a good idea]


your first doctor's visit-
weighing in at 6#0oz.
i was so proud of you!


oh how i love the way a newborn can sleep through anything-
even horribly uncomfortable-looking sleeping positions. 



your dad is obsessed with your little sausage toes.
he loves to sit and hold your feet in his hands.


your big sister likes reading our books to you.
'babywise' and 'hunger games' are her favorites.
her reading level is slightly advanced for her age.


love the expression on your face.
a milk-intoxication smile is what that is.


this was the start of the jealousy stage [thankfully after 4 weeks she's starting to come out of it].
kate has only picked you up and consequently dropped you once.
sorry about that little one.


kate loves talking to you and especially loves seeing you smile.
yesterday she thought you laughed at her and it made her day.



and that completes week 1. tune in shortly for weeks 2-5.


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